zdmz Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 I took my car for a run up the street the other day and the suspension is very loud and clanky. I am in the process of fixing some of that but as I was looking at things I see chunks of wood between the coils on the back springs!!!!??? (Its kind of funny because I've had the car since May and never noticed) Anyway, what would the purpose of this be?? To try and fix a sag problem (the car does not seem to sag)???? To try and stiffen the suspension??? So the car will make a cool sound that no other car makes??? I have no idea why someone would do this. Since the wood in indented in a U shape from the springs the wood is loose enough that they move around but tight enough that I cannot pull them out by hand. I'm confused by this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 The only thing i can think off is that its to increase the spring rate. When you pul them out (and you really should) the car will be softer. Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baddriver Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 I've seen coil spring spacers for sale that are basically chunks of rubber you push into the coil spring to increase the stiffness. Lifts the car and stffens the spring a little. Someone probably decided that wood would do the trick too. Generally it's considered a poor method of increasing spring rate, as it can place a lot of strain on the spring right where the spacer sits. This can make the spring break, although I have to admit that I used a set on an old ford tempo that was sagging in the back. I didn't have any problems, but I wouldn't use them on a performance car. There are a lot of harder but more reliable ways to increase spring stiffness, cutting, using spacers (the real kind), or just installing new springs are a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 Spring spacers basically bind the coils they are inserted between. Its like taking a coil or two out of the spring which increases the rate. It also reduces spring travel and leads to bottoming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gramercyjam Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 Old racer trick. They tech your ride height with the wood in the springs, then during the race the wood falls out and your car gets lower, handles better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdmz Posted December 16, 2004 Author Share Posted December 16, 2004 "Old racer trick. They tech your ride height with the wood in the springs, then during the race the wood falls out and your car gets lower, handles better." I like that one!!! Maybe my car was a race car once. Now I wonder if it ever won!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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